                               VegSocUK Infosheets
                                 STUMBLING BLOCKS

      Additives
      See E numbers.

      AlbumenDerived from eggs, probably battery.

      Alcohol  Many alcoholic drinks are fined (ie clarified) using animal
      ingredients, see beer and wine. Spirits are suitable for vegetarians
      except for some Russian and Eastern European Vodkas which may have used
      bone charcoal in their production. Watch out for cochineal in Campari.
      More information is available on our alcohol information sheet.

      Anchovies  Small fish, found on pizzas and in some brands of worcester
      sauce.

      Animal Fat  Carcass fat not milk fat.

      Aspic  Savoury jelly derived from meat or fish.

      Beer  All cask condition "real" ales will have been fined with isinglass,
      and some keg, bottled and canned bitters, milds and stouts also. Lagers
      are generally chill filtered, but some brands may use isinglass on
      occasion. Send for the Society's list of suitable brands.

      Biscuits  Quite likely to contain animal fats.

      Bone  Used in bone china and cutlery handles.

      Bread  Most large producers use vegetable based emulsifiers (E471, E472
      etc), but local bakers may not. Some bakers may grease the tins with
      animal fat.

      Breakfast cereals  Often fortified with vitamin D3.

      Brushes  Animal hair is commonly used for paint and shaving brushes.

      Butter  Pure butter is suitable for vegetarians.

      Capsules  Usually made from gelatine, vegetarian alternatives are coming
      onto the market.

      Caviar  Fish eggs. The fish must be killed to obtain the eggs.

      Cheese  Likely to have been produced using animal rennet.

      Chewing gum  Often contain glycerine. Wrigleys use a vegetable glycerine.

      Chips  May have been fried in animal fat.

      Chitin  Produced from crab & shrimp shells.

      Chocolate  Watch out for whey and emulsifiers.

      Cochineal  E120, made from crushed insects.

      Crisps  Often use whey as a flavour carrier, ready salted are the only
      clearly vegetarian flavour, though some beef crisps are flavoured with
      yeast extract and are therefore suitable.

      Down  Usually from slaughtered ducks or geese, though some live plucking
      does occur, used in bedding.

      E NumbersNon vegetarian


E120       E542

      May be derived from vegetarian or non vegetarian sources

E153       E161g     E252       E270      E322       E325
E326       E327      E422       E430      E431       E432
E433       E434      E435       E436      E470(a)    E470(b)
E471       E472(a)   E472(b)    E472(c)   E472(d)    E472(e)
E472(f)    E473      E474       E475      E476       E477
E478       E479b     E481       E482      E483       E491
E492       E493      E494       E495      E570       E572
E585       E631      E635       E640      E920

      Edible Fats  Can mean animal fats.

      Eggs  Some vegetarians may wish to avoid battery eggs and/or barn eggs.
      The Vegetarian Society does not award its V symbol to any products
      containing eggs other than free range.

      Emulsifiers  May not be vegetarian.

      Fast Food  Watch out for Bean/Vegetable burgers being cooked with
      fish/chicken/meat products.

      Fatty Acids  May be of animal or vegetable origin.

      Gelatin/Gelatine  A gelling agent derived from animal ligaments, skins,
      tendons, bones etc. Alternatives such as Agar Agar and Gelozone exist.

      Glycerine/Glycerol  May be produced from animal fats, synthesised from
      propylene or from fermentation of sugars.

      Gravy  Vegetarian gravy mixes are available. Be careful in restaurants.

      Honey  Avoided by most vegans.

      Ice Cream  Look out for non dairy fats, E numbers, eggs.

      Isinglass  A fining agent derived from the swim bladders of certain
      tropical fish, especially the Chinese sturgeon. See beer and wine.

      Jelly  Usually contains gelatine though alternatives are available.

      Lactose  Produced from milk, sometimes as a by product of the cheese
      making process.

      Lanolin  Produced from sheep's wool. Used to make vitamin D3.

      Leather  Around 10% of the value of an animal at slaughter is in its skin.

      Lecithin  Nearly always produced from soya beans, though can be produced
      from eggs.

      Margarines  May contain animal fats, fish oils, vitamin D3, E numbers,
      whey, gelatine. The Society has a list of suitable brands.

      Medicines  See Medicines for Vegetarians information sheet.

      Pasta  May contain egg.

      Pastry  May contain animal fat.

      Pepsin  Enzyme from a pigs stomach, used like rennet.

      Pet Foods  Dogs are omnivorous and can be fed on an exclusively vegetarian
      diet. Canned and dried dog foods are available.

      Photography  All Photographic film uses gelatine.

      Postage Stamps  The backing glue is free from animal products.

      Rennet  An enzyme taken from the stomach of a newly killed calf used in
      the cheese making process. Vegetarian cheese is produced using microbial
      or fungal enzymes.

      Restaurants  Watch out for non-vegetarian cheese, battery eggs, stock. The
      Society's leaflet for Chefs Catering for Vegetarians may be useful. The
      Society has published The Vegetarian Travel Guide which lists restaurants,
      guesthouses and hotels in this country and abroad that are wholly
      vegetarian or cater well for vegetarians. Available from The Vegetarian
      Society.

      Roe  Fish eggs, see caviar.

      Shellac  Secreted under tree bark by insects. To be treated in a similar
      way to Honey.

      Shoes  Quality synthetic shoes are becoming more widely available, send
      for the Society's Footwear list.

      Silk  Harvesting silk used in clothing invariably causes the death of the
      silk worm.

      Soap  Many soaps are not vegetarian since they use animal fats and/or
      glycerine. Vegetable oil  based soaps are quite widely available.

      Soft Drinks  Some canned Orange drinks use gelatine as a carrier for added
      Beta Caratine. (This would not appear on the ingredients panel).

      Soup  Watch out for the stock.

      Stearic Acid  May be vegetarian or not.

      Stock  May contain animal fat.

      Suet  Usually made from animal fat, vegetable versions are available.

      Sweets  Look out for gelatine in boiled sweets and mints, and cochineal in
      boiled sweets and Smarties.

      Toothpaste  Many brands contain glycerine.

      Vegan  The Vegan Society produces The Animal Free Shopper which lists
      branded products suitable for vegans (available from The Vegetarian
      Society). Vitamins  Vitamin D2 is produced by sunlight acting on bacteria,
      however D3 is derived from lanolin from sheeps wool therefore only D3
      which is guaranteed sourced from wool sheared from live sheep is
      considered acceptable.

      V Symbol  You can be sure that any products carrying the Vegetarian
      Society's V symbol have been thoroughly checked to ensure they are
      suitable for vegetarians.

      Washing powder  Soap based powders may contain animal fats.

      Whey  Whey and whey powder are usually by products of the cheese making
      process which mainly uses animal rennet.

      Wine  May have been fined using isinglass, dried blood, egg albumen,
      gelatine, chitin. Vegetarian alternatives include bentonite, kieselguhr,
      kaolin and silica gel. Non vintage port is fined with gelatine.

      Worcester Sauce  Most brands contain anchovies.

      Yoghurts  Some low fat yoghurts contain gelatine.

  FURTHER INFORMATION

  BOOKS

      The Animal Free Shopper.  The Vegan Society, #4.95 + #1.00 p&p

      The Vegetarian Travel Guide 1991. The Vegetarian Society, Special Offer
      #1.99 + #1.00 p&p

      Shoppers' Guide. The Vegetarian Society, 50p + SAE

   All books available from Merchandise Unit, The Vegetarian Society, Parkdale,
   Dunham Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 4QG.
   ___________________________________


//
This article is copyright to the Vegetarian Society (UK), but may be freely
copied for non-commercial use provided it is kept intact, not altered
and these lines are included.

For futher information contact: The Vegetarian Society, Parkdale, Dunham Road,
Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 4QG, England. Tel: (England) 061 928 0793
email: vegsoc@vegsoc.demon.co.uk
//



[The text of this file was obtained from the Vegetarian Society (UK) in
March 1995.]

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